The 21 cm Mörser 16 was a German 210mm heavy artillery piece, which was fielded by the German Imperial Army during the First World War and by the Wehrmacht during the Second World War. Although the Germans designated it 'Mörser', which means 'mortar', it was in fact a heavy howitzer employed during a siege of an enemy fortification, such as Sevastopol, and against troops dug in in deep trenches and bunkers.
Introduced in 1916, the 21 cm Mörser was designed and manufactured by Krupp. It saw combat action for the first time in the Battle of Verdun and the Battle of the Somme, which were the goriest and most violent battles of the First War. In the 1930s, it would be modernized for single load transport. It fired 113-kg shells up to a maximum distance of 11 km (about 7 miles). By 1943, however, it had been largely replaced by the 21 cm Mörser 18.
Specifications
Type: Heavy howitzer
Caliber: 210 mm
Weight: 6.7 tons
Breech: Horizontal, sliding wedge
Barrel length: 2.67 m
Elevation: -6° to +70°
Recoil: Hydro-pneumatic
Carriage: Box trail
Maximum Range: 11 km
Below, the 21 cm Morser 16 during the Battle of Verdun in August 1916.
Below, the 210mm howitzer during the Third Battle of Ypres, Belgium.
This powerful German howitzer was also used during World War II, especially on the Eastern Front.
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